Saint Augustines confessions translated: and with some marginall notes illustrated. Wherein, diuers antiquities are explayned; and the marginall notes of a former Popish translation, answered. By William Watts, rector of St. Albanes, Woodstreete

CHAP. 28. Wee measure times in our mind.

1. BVt how comes that fu∣ture, which as yet is not, to be diminished or wa∣sted away? or how comes that past, which now is no longer, to bee encreased? vn∣lesse in the minde which act∣eth all this, there bee three things done? For it ex∣pects, it markes attentiuely, it remembers; that so the thing which it expecteth, through that act or power w^ch marketh, may passe into that which remembreth. Who therefore can deny, that things to come are not as yet? and for all that, is there in

the minde, an expectati∣on of things to come. And who can deny, past things to bee now no longer? and yet is there still in the minde a memory of things passed. And who can de∣ny that the present time wants space, because it pas∣seth away in a poynt? and yet our attentiue marking of it continues still, through which the future passes to bee away. The future therefore (which is not yet) is not a long time: but the long fu∣ture time, is meerely A long expectation of the time to come. Nor is the time past (which is not still) a long time; but a long pas∣sed time, is meerely A long memory of the passed time.

2. I am about to repeate a song that a 1.1 I know. Before I beginne, my expectation alone retches it selfe ouer the

whole: but so soone as I shall haue once begunne, how much so euer of it I shall (by repeating) take into the pas∣sed; iust so much is retcht along in my memory: yea and doubly retcht is the life of this action of mine; into my memory, so farre as con∣cernes that part which I haue repeated already; and into my Expectation too, in respect of what I am about to repeate now: yea, and all this while is my marking faculty present at hand, through which, that which was Future, is conueighed ouer, that it may become the passed: which how much the more diligently it is done ouer & ouer againe; so much more the Expectation being shortned, is the memory enlarged; till the whole Ex∣pectation be at length vanisht quite away; when namely

that whole action being en∣ded, all shall bee absolutely passed into the memory. What is now done in this whole song, the same is done also in euery part of it, yea and in euery Syllable of it. The same order holds in a longer action too; where∣of perchance this song is but a part. This holds too, throughout the whole course of a mans life, the parts whereof bee all the Actions of the man. It generally holds also, throughout the whole age of the sonnes of men; the parts whereof bee the whole liues of men.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Quod no••i. That I haue by heart, saies the other translater which quite mat∣reth the sense, seeing he speakes n••t ••i••l af∣terward, of the taking •• into 〈…〉〈…〉